The present invention relates to a device for supporting a carriage for a printer, such as a dot matrix printer as an output device of a computer system, in which the carriage is reciprocated so that a print head mounted thereon moves along a platen for performing the printing operation.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional device for supporting a carriage in a printer. The carriage device comprises a base plate 6 of a frame 6b, a carriage guide bar 2 supported on the frame 6b and disposed in parallel with a platen 1 rotatably supported on the frame. A carriage 3 having a print head 5 mounted thereon is slidably mounted on the guide bar 2 at the front end portion thereof. The base plate 6 has an upright portion 6a to which a guide plate 7 is secured by screws 8, an end of the guide plate 7 being projected from the upright portion 6a towards the carriage 3. A pair of rollers 9 and 10 are provided on a bending portion 3a formed on the rear end of the carriage 3, engaging with the projected end of the guide plate 7 at both sides thereof, so that the carriage is supported so as to move along the guide bar 2 and guide plate 7.
However, in such a carriage supporting mechanism, the structure is complicated and the carriage has a complicated shape, which results in increase of parts and of the step of assembling process. Further, the flexual rigidity of the base plate 6 is insufficient.